Do Probiotics Make You Constipated?

Do Probiotics Make You Constipated?

Probiotics are safe to use for most people, however side effects can occur. You might experience side effects such as a temporary increase in gas, bloating, constipation and thirst. Others can also react poorly to ingredients used in probiotics or to the naturally occurring amines in probiotic foods.

In this article, we look closer at the relationship between probiotics and constipation. Does it help constipation, can it make your constipation worse? If it does help, how long do you have to wait to see results.

All this and more will be answered in this article as to whether or not you should be taking probiotics.

Do probiotics help with constipation?

Research shows that probiotics may help relieve constipation related to pregnancy, certain medications, or potentially digestive issues like IBS. Probiotics are mostly safe and effective. Most of the time probiotics are an excellent addition to a healthy diet to improve bowel regularity.

There’s plenty of research out there which shows that probiotics can help treat a variety of stomach problems, particularly IBS, with one of the main symptoms being constipation.

A good example of this is a 6 week study of 274 subjects who took a probiotic milk daily. The continued use of the probiotic helped to increase their stool frequency throughout the 6 weeks and even reduced any symptoms they were experiencing of IBS.

This has been seen in other studies too. A 60 day study of 150 people with IBS saw improvements in bowel regularities and stool frequency after regularly supplementing probiotics.

How long before probiotics work for constipation?

For some people, it can take up to 4 weeks. In a study of 70 people with constipation who drank a probiotic-rich beverage containing the bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium animalis lactis, Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium bifidum for four weeks, most of the subjects reported improvements by the start of the second week.

Although probiotics have been seen to help some people with stomach problems such as IBS, diarrhea, constipation, bloating and more – it isn’t a sure thing when it comes to sorting your stomach.

If you’re looking for a quick fix for stomach problems, probiotics may be able to work for you, but it may take anywhere between one to four weeks. Start with a lower dose and work your way up. At first, you may experience some bloating in the first few days of using probiotics, but this is typically from gas as the healthy bacteria settles in.

How fast they actually work depends on a variety of features such as your own body, the type of probiotic you’re taking and how strong the strain is.

Constipation caused by probiotic?

Probiotics have the potential to cause constipation – however, it is unlikely. This is typically the case if you are using probiotics that are yeast-based. In addition to this, yeast-based probiotics may also cause a degree of increased thirst.

However, it is very rare that you would experience these kinds of side effects from a probiotic, and these effects are usually experienced in the first few days – if they are at all.

Other potential side effects from probiotics in the first few days include: gas and bloating.

Probiotics and Constipation: Cause or Help?

For most people, probiotics seem to help when it comes to stomach issues like constipation. However, others may experience some side effects during the early use of the supplement. Bloating and gas have been seen as side effects caused by probiotics in the first few days of taking them.

When using probiotics, you should see an improvement in your constipation in around 1 to 4 weeks with regular use.

However, it doesn’t work for all people and a lot of it can depend on your body type, what type of probiotic strain you’re taking and how much of it.